By the time a person presents with clinical diabetes, about 80 percent of their beta cells—the cells that produce insulin—have been destroyed. Could a better understanding of these cells lead to earlier intervention and more effective treatment for diabetes? Tune in to learn:

• What the main functions are of the pancreas, and what goes wrong in diabetes mellitus
• How immature insulin differs from mature insulin, and how this relates to type 1 diabetes
• How better treatment—or even a cure—for diabetes may be possible with a better understanding of beta cell health and the role of beta cells in the progression of disease

Physician-scientist, Emily Sims, is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Indiana University who focuses on the study of endocrinology and clinical and translational research on type 1 diabetes mellitus. Specifically, her lab is researching how pancreatic beta cells contribute to the development of type 1 diabetes, and whether there is a way to cure rather than just treat the disease.

Sims provides insight on the disparities between what she sees in the clinic versus the research lab. She shares what's been discovered through research using the Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes (nPOD) depository, for instance, how type 1 diabetes pathology differs in young children versus adults. She also discusses what beta cell dedifferentiation means, and how it could be considered a new form of beta cell failure in type 1 diabetes.

Visit https://www.trialnet.org/ to learn more about current developments and discoveries in the world of diabetes research. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK